Topic:
Aristocraft U25B Handrails Needed/Imagination Station KOT

Aristocraft U25B Handrails Needed/Imagination Station KOT

Hello,

Our program, Imagination Station Kids On Track was donated a new Amtrak U25B. The only problem is that it lacks any handrails. The original owner couldn't find them and the locomotive had only been out of the box once? We are searching for someone who might have a complete set of original handrails for sale. (any color)

If you have a set you can part with, (front, rear and both sides) or you know someone who does, please get in touch with us here on this site or contact me, Kenneth Mathews at; kenmathews54321@gmail.com .

We would really like to get this Amtrak locomotive up and running for kids to operate with our Amtrak train cars before Christmas, if possible.

Thanks! Ken

c/o Imagination Station Kids On Track Model Railroad And Train Safety Program

Ken, I would strongly recommend you make a permanent bookmark in your browser, since you are in the business of fixing and refurbishing trains. GLX has a wealth of replacement/repair parts and is amenable to new items.

(I'm actually mildly surprised you don't know of GLX already)

Greg

____________________________________

Be sure­ to visit ­my site, l­ots of tec­hnical tip­s and modi­fications,­ and you c­an search ­for topics­ and key w­ords.

It is surprising what can be found here on LSC...Gilbert (GLX) has been mentioned often here, and is known to let us know of products he has available. I have helped him get some representative parts, to help produce new ones.

Since I do not have that particular locomotive, I can't provide the sample. It would be great if it was the same style of railing part as on the RS3...Gilbert already has them.

Our program, Imagination Station Kids On Track was donated a new Amtrak U25B. The only problem is that it lacks any handrails. The original owner couldn't find them and the locomotive had only been out of the box once? We are searching for someone who might have a complete set of original handrails for sale. (any color)

Ken,

I would like to table this "SIMPLE OPTION" first if I may?

Do "you" have the box that the locomotive came out of only once or does the original owner have that ? IF SO ... please flip the styrofoam inserts over from the box it came from only once as the railing is sometimes taped too backside of the inserts.

I left a message today, 9-5-19. I'm sure he will get back to me when he has time. It sounds like he's very good at remaking parts in general. I'm just sorry I didn't know about him before. As many years as I've been in this hobby, I can't believe I didn't come across his information before. I sure hope he can help me out with this problem. It's pretty sad to have a brand new engine and no handrails.

Rooster,

The original owner said they didn't have the styrofoam piece that would have been on top of the cradle. They also told me that they looked on the front sides, back and top and bottom of the styrofoam that the engine rests in and sadly had no luck finding the handrails. It belonged too the father of this young man and he doesn't really know a lot about trains but he searched the whole house and garage and couldn't find any other styrofoam pieces or train parts that wouldn't have went along with it. I used to own one other u-25B many years ago and I remember what you're talking about and where they used to put the handrails, however that piece on top is missing.

Pretty sure the USA trains part # R22-121 metal railings might work while also involving the kids to make it a kitbash? Just straighten the stanchion pins down and bend the railing around the blower/battery box.

The stanchions do look similar to the USA trains ones. These probably could be made with brass channels. The brass loops that hold the coupler bars can be bought in the ship building section of hobby stores. There is a small article on the OVGRS website that shows how these can be made and repaired.

I recently bought a USA Trains S-4 switcher. The stanchions on it are much sturdier and easy to install than on previous diesels.

Hi everyone. I am back but still in low gear where mobility is concerned. I appreciate the referrals and support. Ted Dokaris pictures help a lot.

I can't 3D print the Aristocraft U-25B stanchions like I do with the other replacement parts. They are too small and especially too thin an object. They remind me of HO scale handrails. Railing and stanchions injection molded as one.

Even just printing the stanchions alone makes a very fragile object that would break as soon as you touch them for the first time. Assuming a hole at the top for the hand bent brass railing, the wall of the loop would be again too thin and susceptible to breakage the first time you touch it.

The best way is to duplicate these with brass channel or rectangular rod as recommended by Paul Norton. I however don't have a stamping machine to quickly cut out and flatten the the top and bottom tabs. The top tab then gets rolled to shape the hole for the handrail.

It can be done by hand with small tools, files and a table anvil. This is a project for someone with talent, tools and lots of time on their hands.

Sorry not something GLX Scale Models would undertake. The set up and manufacturing costs would easily outweigh a reasonable price.

Note: USA Trains and Aristo-Craft metal railings are made of hardened metal. Rebending them is done at the risk of breakage. That said, usually a single bend will work if not done at a sharp right angle.

As far as fabricating railings from scratch, I had done this for a then new Aristo SD45 that had one of its short single stanchion railings at the front side of the loco missing.

I used a paper clip wire and brass sheet material. It was very tedious and time consuming to make, and I would not want to do a long railing.

Gilbert, I hope you get better soon and thanks for the info. No worries, we'll find some way.

Greg, i think, if I'm understanding this right, Ted's reply here is telling me that most likely, USA Trains handrails won't work due to the stantion end needing to be bent. (as well as the handrails themselves) I guess, as mentioned, there is a high possibility of breakage if you bend them straight down at the bottom or the handrail top. Maybe the idea below would work? Of course, I've never done this.

Ted, is it possible to bend USA stantion bottom ends straight and add full length brass wire instead of using Aristocraft top rail pieces, if I said that right?